Organize your home for summer now so you can spend less time worrying about where things are and more time having fun with your kids.
Summer starts at my house in just a couple of short weeks, so this week I plan on getting ready.
Here are 7 simple tips on how to organize your home for summer before it starts.
1 – Out With The Old In With The New
In order to create less clutter take the time to pack away all of your families winter items.
This is a great time to purge winter and fall items that you no longer need or that your kids have grown out of too.
Make a donation pile, a keep pile and a throw away pile.
Invest in a large tote for each child and family member. This makes rotating seasons so simple.
You can double your space in these totes by using vacuum bags. Place all the items you can to maximize the storage.
Pack away all of your coats, long sleeve shirts, boots, whatever you have from winter you will not need until the fall into the large tote.
Then make sure you label the tote with the person’s name.
Keep this rotating system going as we get into different seasons.
2 – Stock Up
In order to prepare your home for summer, you should stock up on summer essentials.
Check your sunscreen and bug spray from last season. Make sure it is not expired. I always grab a few more from the store now so I never run out all summer long.
Check all your pool floats, beach items, water balloons or anything you will be using this summer to make sure all the items are good to use this summer.
Check to see if you have enough beach towels and bathing suits for everyone. I know in my house flip flops are always something I have to buy each season for my kids.
And don’t forget to pick up Bandaids – lots of Bandaids!
Stock your kitchen as well!
I swear every summer I feel like all my kids do is eat. And with their friends coming in and out I like to have a full stocked kitchen.
Take inventory of what you have and start stocking up on summer items like water and popsicles.
If you have an extra freezer or refrigerator in your garage load it up just for your kids and their friends.
I wish I would have done this years ago!
This makes it easy for them to grab what they want without dragging water into my house since most of the time they are outside playing with water.
It was well worth the investment, since I have to clean my floors less.
3 – Create A Landing Station and Tote Bag
Make summer organization as easy as possible by creating a landing station and a tote bag you can easily grab and go.
Create a landing station for the items you use all summer long like sunglasses, hats and sunscreen.
The summer is all about outdoor adventures and last minute plans make sure you are ready.
Pack a tote bag with day trip items.
Things to include:
- Bug Spray
- Sunscreen
- Hats
- Bandaids
- A few plastic bags – for wet clothes or trash
- Picnic blanket
- Sanitizing wipes
- Reusable water bottles to fill
By keeping a tote bag ready you can be out the door in less time for a fun summer day out.
4 – Make A Summer Calendar
One way to organize your home for summer is create a summer calendar.
Start early and make a summer calendar for all the activities you want to do.
That way you feel more prepared. Once your kids get out of school you can be ready!
Write everything down so you do not miss anything fun this summer.
Schedule in camp dates, vacations, any appointments you may have and fun events that your town might have planned like fairs or festivals.
Get your kids involved too and see if there is anything they want to do on their summer bucket list.
Summer should be relaxing too so do not over schedule things.
Leave room for spontanious days or down time days.
Make sure you display your summer calendar for the whole family.
That way it keeps everyone knowing what the day’s happenings are.
5 – Create Summer Rules and Routines For Your Kids
I know, I know summer is supposed to be more relaxed but if your kids are like mine they need to stick with some sort of routine.
Make sure you go over with them what is expected as far as rules go.
If you want your kids to help around the house make it known so there are no issues later.
Related: Successful Summer Schedule For Kids
You can set up a simple chore chart for the summer to help them visualize what needs to get done.
Coming up with a morning routine and evening routine is important as well.
In my house, it is a bit more relaxed during the summer but our mornings and evenings for the most part always look the same.
Routines make for good habits.
This helps when they head back to school by sticking to some sort of routine.
6 – Garage Organization and Summer Toys
A major area to focus on to organize your home for summer is the garage.
The garage always takes a hit during the summer months!
With the balls, bikes and extra sporting equipment your garage can quickly become a hot mess.
Take some time before summer starts and make sure all the things you need are accessible for your kids.
Since you no longer need your winter tools try to move them into a place where they do not need to be accessed.
Then move all the kids toys up front.
You can use totes for this too.
Gather all your water toys, sport items and anything else you have for the summer and designate bins for those items.
Store these bins in places your kids can reach if you want them to be able to get into them on their own.
Related: Organize Your Home Like A Professional Organizer
7 – Rainy Day Activities
There are going to be days where everyone needs some down time during the summer.
So your kids do not get bored make sure you are ready for some activities to keep them busy.
Before summer starts take a look at your craft section if you have one.
If you need to replace or add anything now is the time to do it.
Games, puzzles, and movies are a great thing to have on hand too for those rainy lazy days.
Related: 40 Frugal Summer Activities
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Tasha says
This post makes me want to do some spring cleaning and organize my house. Let me do that
Kuchiya says
I agree with you on the summer calendar point. A couple of years ago, we started making a calendar for summer activities, and this has really helped us keep each summer fun and exciting for our kids. I’ll definitely share the rest of your tips on organizing our home for summer with my wife. I’m sure she’ll find them helpful.